Following Jesus on His Nonviolent Path of Peace
The first Anabaptists died for their conviction that each and every human being was free to choose for themselves when it came to matters of faith. They realized that faith is not an extension of one's politics, geography, race or family.
Rather, it is a response born out of a personal calling and conviction by Jesus. Jesus compels no one to come to him. Though all are invited, love must lie at the center of our choices. And, where there is love, there will also be the freedom to choose.
Of course I'm aware that the word “freedom” is a contested idea. Some argue that it is largely illusory. That who we are is determined largely by our social structures and biology. I am not entirely unsympathetic to these claims.
All of us are dealt a hand not of our own choosing when it comes to where and how we are raised, what plausibility structures we inhabit, and the genetic material with which we are dispatched into the world. I get this.
But even understanding that our choices are in large part informed by a myriad factors of which we are only dimly aware, I remain struck by how Jesus honours our humanity by assuming that we have the ability to choose.
Yes, our choosing is always deeply contextualized. No, it will not look the same in each and every context. However, Jesus comes to each of us, extends his hand, and invites us to take the next step towards choosing a life of healing, forgiveness, hope and peace.
Choosing to Follow the Prophetic and Non-Violent Witness of Jesus
The God revealed in and through the person and work of Jesus of Nazareth is a God who challenges power structures in radically counterintuitive and redemptive ways. This God does not flex his omnipotent muscles, but lays down his life for his friends and his enemies.
Jesus did not perpetuate broken systems of oppression and violence, but modeled a life of peace with and for all. Jesus introduced a rupture into the systems of His day and continues to reawaken our imagination, steering us toward the shalom we were all made for.
Jesus did not perpetuate broken systems of oppression and violence, but modeled a life of peace. Click To TweetThis is not a popular message for those of us who are attuned to and stunted by centuries of more “realistic” ways of being the church. We’re happy for the salvation and forgiveness and salvation Jesus offers; we’re eager to enjoy spiritual blessings and the hope of eternity, but we don’t always understand or acknowledge that the flavour of eternity was meant to feed back into the present.
We’re glad for Jesus’ gifts, but we sometimes have little use for his uncomfortably difficult challenge to radically reorient our way of being in the present. The nonviolent pursuit of peace is a God-sized task, we assume, so we don’t bother trying.
But Jesus stubbornly insists upon unsettling and reshaping our imaginations. The church needs this. I need this. And, the world needs this, even if it thinks it doesn’t.
Jesus shows us who God is, tells us who we are and what we are worth, and invites us to participate in the renewal of all things - today.
Jesus is more than a way to peace - Jesus is the Prince of Peace.
Jesus is more than a way to peace - Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Click To TweetLet's choose to join with Him in what He is already doing around the world. Let's choose to pursue and model His nonviolent means to peace at home and around the world. The choice is ours to make. May we choose well.
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